Umbrella-runner



(No Model.)

.L. B. COUCH. I v UMBRELLA RUNNER.

No. 478,250. Patentd July 5, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT O ICE.

LOUIS BRADFORD COUCH, OF NYAOK, NEW YORK.

UMBRELLA-RUNNER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 478,250, dated July 5,1892.

Application filed April 18, 1891. Serial No. 389,475- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I,LoUIs BRADFORD CoUcH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Nyack, in the county of Ro'ckland and State of 1 New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Parasol andUmbrella Runners; and I do declare the following to be afull, clear, andexact descriptionof the invenpanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in umbrella-runners; and itconsists in certain novel features of construction which will be fullydescribed hereinafter, and pointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide an umbrella-runner sleeve witha peculiar holding-hook at its upper and lower ends, which will bepresently described, and to place a runner-head upon the sleeve, whichis so constructed that the sleeve is allowed a partial revolution, sothat the holding-hook at its upper end is made automatic in its action.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a runnerwhich embodies my invention, showing a portion of the umbrella stickupon which it is placed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the runner,showing a modified form of securingthe runner-headin place. Fig. 3 is adetached plan view of the runner-head, showing the slot made in itsinner face. Fig. 4 is a detached view of the runner-sleeve, showing theholding-hooks formed by raising the metal. Fig. 5 is a plan view of theupper or lower end of the sleeve, showing the edges of the openingrolled or doubled back for the purpose of strengthening theholding-hooks and slots leading thereto. Fig. 6 is a view of the upperend of the runner-sleeve, showing a modified form of the holding-hook.Fig. 7 is a view of the upper end of the runner-sleeve, showing therunner-head placed above the holding-hook. Fig. 8 is a plan view of therunner-head shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a side elevation showing the ribsextended.

The runner consists of a runner-sleeve A, which is provided with the twoannular ridges, flanges, or beads B, which may be formed by securing tothe outer side of the sleeve two rings, or by forming the metal out ofwhich the sleeve is made outward, or by projecting portions B, as shownin Fig. 2. IMade in one side of the upper end of the runner-sleeve A isa V-shaped opening 0, which has formed at oneside of the termination ofthe V a hook D, and below this hook D is formed a small recess F, thepurpose of which will be presently explained. Below this hook and insideof it the recess is provided with a substantially' straight edge G, asshown, and the opposite side of this recess is provided with aninwardly-curved edge E, which curves gradually until it joins the lowerend of the straight edge G, as shown. By means of this construction itwill be seen that the hook overlaps the junction of the curved, edge Eand the straight edge G, and also overlaps the small recess F, theobject of which will be described hereinafter. I

Placed between the flanges or beads Bis a runner-head H, to which theribs are connected in the usual or any suitable manner, and thisrunner-head is provided with a recess I in its under face, as shown inFig. 1, or with a recess 1, as shown in Fig. 3. In this latter instancethe recess is made in the inner face of the runner and may either extendentirely through the thickness of the head or only partially through itsthickness, as may be preferred. Extending outward from the sleeve A is apin or projection J, which enters the said recess and limits themovementof the runner-sleeve in the runner-head, as will be readilyunderstood.

Formed in one side of the lower end of the runner-sleeve is a V-shapedrecess K, which has the curved slot L extending from its lower end andterminating in a recess N, as shown, and by means of this recess therunner is locked near the handle end of the umbrellastick in a manner tobe described presently.

Extending outward from the u inbrella-stick, near its upper end, is apin P, of any suitable size, shape, or construction that may be preferred, and as the runner is forced upward for the purpose of openingthe-umbrella this-pin enters the V-shaped recess 0, made in the upperend of the runner-sleeve A. As the sleeve is forced on the pin is guidedby the curved edge E under the hook to thejunction of the edge E and G,and then when the runner is released the tendency of the umbrella toclose forces the pin up against the lower side of the hook D, which,being inclined upward, as shown, guides the pin into the recess F underthe hook, and the runner is thereby locked against longitudinal movementupon the stick and cannot be dislodged except designedly,

nor can the umbrella be blown wrong side out.

As the pin engaged the curved edge E the runmovement within the head Hby the recess I and projection J, the sleeve is always held in theproperposition to have the pin upon the umbrella-stick enterthe V-shapedopening 0, and then, owing to the action just described, the hooking ofthe upper end of the sleeve,

upon the said pin is automatic.

Extending outward fromthe umbrella-stick, 1

near its handle end, is a second pin R, similar to the one at the top ofthe stick,,and this pin is guided into the V shaped slot K (owing 5 tothe limited movement of the runner-sleeve) as the umbrella is lowered,and then the pin is guided to the recess N at the end of the curvedrecess L by giving the runner-sleeve a partial turn with the fingers.

If desired, the sleeve A will be roughened or milled for a portion ofits length or-entirely throughout its length, as desired, in a mannersimilar to the ornamental and useful milling usually found upon thehandles of dental tools, and which will enable the sleeve to be morereadily turned by the user.

I do not desire to limit myself to the recess F, formed under the hookD, for this maybe omitted, if desired, and the hook formed as shown inFig. 6. In this instance the inclined lower edge of the hook is dependedupon to hold the pin in place under it; but :in either instance it willbe noticed that the curved edge E extends under the lower end of thehook, so that the :pin is guided beneath, as before described.

If desired,therunner-head H can beplaced upon the extreme upper end ofthe sleeve A,

as shown in Fig. 7, and in this case the runner- I head will be providedwith an opening S, as shown in Fig. 8, through which the pin upon thestick will pass to the V-shaped recess and under the hook. I

Instead of cutting a recess in the ends of the sleeve for the purpose offorming hooks, the metal can be raised or forced outward,

as shown in Fig. 4, thus forming shoulders which correspond in shape tothe edges of the recess and hooks, and are covered by a hood (1, formedby the metal forced or pressed out to form the socket. the edges of therecess can be doubled or folded for the purpose of strengthening themand the hooks. The sleeve is released from either of the pins upon thestick by giving it As shown in Fig. 5, r

a partial revolution, as will be readily understood.

By means of the above construction it will be seen that I have producedan umbrellarunner which does away with the sawing into the stick for thereception of a spring, which very materially weakens the stick, andwhich does not have to be turned around until a slot in the sleeve isopposite the spring, and which cannot be blown wrong side out, the wholebeing simple and cheap to manufacture.

While I have shown and described the runner-head as being loose upon therunnersleeve, I do notidesire to limit myself to that particularconstruction, so far as the constructing of an automatic hook isconcerned. As it is only necessary for the sleeve to rotate about twicethe thickness of the pin, this amount of rotation would be allowed bythe twisting of the ribs or by making the upper ends of the ribs loosein their connections; so, also, theupper endsof the ribs may beconnected to the loose sleeve D',as shown in Fig. 9.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The umbrella-runnerconsisting of the single sleeve having exterior projections, the singleexterior ring H, loosely confined on said sleeve by said projections,means to limit the turning of the sleeve independently of the ring, thecurved pin-holding socket opening through the lower end of the sleevehaving the pin-recess, and the pin-holdingsocket at the opposite end ofthe sleeve having a curved edge E on one side terminating at the lowerend of straight edge G, and the hook D, projecting from the oppositeside of the socket over the meeting-point between edges E and G, for thepurpose as set forth.

2. The runner-sleeve, the ring II loosely confined thereon by exteriorprojections, so that the sleeve has a limited turning movementindependentof the ring, the curved pinreceiving socket at one end of thesleeve with a pin-holding recess and the pin-receiving recess at theopposite end of the sleeve tapering inwardly and having the long curvededge Ev on one side terminating with the straight edge G, the hook D,having an inclined outer edge projecting over the junction between edgesE and G, and the pin-holding recess F under said hook and above edge G,as set forth.

3. The runner-sleeve carry-ing a loose ring, and thepin-receivingsockets at the ends of the sleeve, having inclined curvededges and pin-holding recesses and covered by exterior hoods formed bypressing out the metal to form the sockets, as set forth and shown.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS BRADFORD COUCH.-

Witnesses:

A. M. Voonrns, FREDERICK PERRY.

IOU

